1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handling device for electronic chip components and a handling method for electronic chip components.
2. Description of the Related Art
A device for measuring electrical characteristics of electronic chip components such as chip capacitors, etc., and for screening conforming and nonconforming electronic chip components based on the measurements is described in PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 2000-501174.
As shown in FIG. 23, such a device 101 contains a test plate 102 in which a plurality of holes (cavities) 103 is arranged along concentric circles for accommodating electronic chip components. A reduced pressure from a reduced pressure source is applied to each cavity 103 of the test plate 102 and, because of the suction generated by the reduced pressure, each cavity 103 sucks and holds a electronic chip component. Furthermore, the test plate 102 is inclined so as to put the electronic chip components into the cavities 103, as is described later.
When a plurality of electronic chip components in a hopper 122 drops by their own weight onto the test plate 102 rotating clockwise, through a supplying tray 118 as a feeder, the electronic chip components move by rolling along the loading guide plates of a loading frame 104. When the electronic chip components are put into empty cavities 103 of the test plate 102, the electronic chip components are held in the cavities 103 because of the suction generated by the reduced pressure.
However, in the device 101 described in PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 2000-501174, since the electronic chip components are put into the cavities 103 by making the electronic chip components move by rolling on the test plate 102, a large area for putting the electronic components into the cavities 103 is required. Therefore, no large measurement area is available on the test plate 102 and, as a result, it is difficult to perform measurements quickly.
Furthermore, in the device 101 in PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 2000-501174, since it is required to make electronic chip components drop by their own weight, when the size and weight of the electronic components increase, the impact force of the drop increases and there is a risk that the corner portions of the electronic components may be chipped.
Furthermore, in general feeders for electronic chip components, it is required to perfectly align electronic chip components and move the electronic components to the cavities. Accordingly, in the related feeders for electronic chip components, since a system for screening electronic chip components depending on the length direction (L direction), the width direction (W direction), and the thickness direction (T direction) is contained, the feeder is easily blocked with electronic components and the rate of operation of the device is low.